Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions 2023-02-08T11:40:49-08:00

General Questions:

Our gallery hours are:
Wednesdays-Fridays, 12 PM-6 PM
Saturdays, 12 PM-4 PM

Kirkland Arts Center operates a non-commercial gallery in our downtown Kirkland location, exhibiting the work of a diverse range of visual artists across many genres.  For information about current exhibitions, hours of operation, or questions, please contact the gallery team at gallery@kirklandartscenter.org or visit https://www.kirklandartscenter.org/exhibitions/.

You may support Kirkland Arts Center by enrolling in classes, purchasing membership(s), donating, and volunteering.  For information, go to http://kirklandartscenter.org/get-involved/ 

Due to the historic nature of our building, KAC is not fully accessible. More detailed accessibility information is available here. Please call ahead if you need ramp access or for further information about accessibility. You can also browse a current list of classes held in our Mezzanine Studio, currently our most accessible classroom, or our offsite classes.

 Kirkland Arts Center does not have a dedicated parking lot. There is plenty of neighborhood parking available surrounding our facility.

We do not take art donations at this time.

Donations help Kirkland Arts Center to achieve its mission goals, which include:

  • Igniting artistic growth and self-expression through 200+ affordable visual arts classes serving over 2500 adult and youth.
  • Cultivating community through our free community events and contemporary exhibits at the KAC Gallery and in public spaces around Kirkland.
  • Building and sustaining our historic home in the Peter Kirk Building as a vibrant art-engagement space and landmark of local history.
  • Investing in KAC’s mission and programs for generations to come.

Education and Registration:

Practicing or participating in creative activities can cultivate mindfulness, build empathy, and contribute to making our communities more inclusive, creative, and increasing reflective.  Kirkland Arts Center provides scholarships to students based on need when funds are available. To learn more, e-mail registrar@kirklandartscenter.org.  

No! Our classes–and camps–are designed to cater to a range of skills and abilities so every child can have a positive artistic experience. Beginners and more advanced students are always welcome.

Our visual arts school is inclusive to individuals of all abilities and experiences. If you are concerned about your abilities, please email registrar@kirklandartscenter.org with your questions. Our team will help guide you in making a decision. Depending on the class, our instructors can be a great resource as well.

Students may withdraw from a class 7 or more days prior to the start date and receive a tuition refund, less a $20 withdrawal fee.  Students withdrawals less than a week from any class start date will not receive a refund or credit. For more information, go to Education Policies or email registrar@kirklandartscenter.org

Yes! Our online registration system allows students to select to be put on a waitlist for a class. When an opening is available, we will  notify you and confirm your enrollment. Notifications are in order of placement on the waiting list. For information, email registrar@kirklandartscenter.org.

Generally, we offer ceramics, printmaking, acrylic and oil, watercolor, drawing, and collage classes for different levels. We also offer workshops and youth/teen classes and camps. Check out a full list of our classes here

It depends on the class or workshop. When you register for a class, the supply list will be available in the class description, and will also be sent within your enrollment confirmation email. Instructors are typically very responsive and clear when it comes to supply questions, and often give suggestions on brands, stores, etc. 

Of course! We believe that artistic exploration is not simply for the already-experienced, but for everyone, and we believe our inclusive class programming creates an inclusive, non-intimidating learning environment for all skill levels, ages, and abilities. 

Kirkland Arts Center provides classes all year in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter Quarters.  Classes meet weekly in 3 hour studios. Ceramics classes run for 10 weeks. All other classes are 8 weeks. Registration for each quarter’s classes open during the 6th week of the preceding quarter. Registration is online via our Class Catalog.

We currently offer open studios for our ceramics and printmaking classes. These are available to currently enrolled students only. We DO NOT allow non-student, unscheduled use of our facilities. 

We only offer all classes in our facilities in the Peter Kirk Building in downtown Kirkland, WA.   

We are always looking for experienced art instructors for upcoming quarters. Refer to our “Employment Opportunities” page for more information. 

Membership:

As KAC has experienced healthy growth in classes and broader community engagement over the past few years, we have recognized that many of our students, instructors, and volunteers are seeking a deeper relationship with us as an organization. Memberships foster this relationship through mutual support and benefits, including additional communication from KAC, discounts, and enrollment privileges. See here for more information on membership.

Membership is considered a good/service, and therefore is not eligible as tax deductible. 

Our memberships are good for ONE individual’s account. Your spouse, partner, or child may not use your membership for a discount on a class. 

While we value the whole family’s involvement at KAC, we currently do not offer a family membership. 

No! We hope our members will take full advantage of their benefits. 

We are so grateful that we have members that feel comfortable sharing their work with us and our gallery, but we do not offer discounts on exhibition application fees at this time.

At KAC, we pride ourselves in our students’ continuity of study, and have historically rewarded this by giving current students pre-registration benefits. Now that we offer our new membership program, we are extending the benefits to members as well. 

No  – you do not need to be a member to participate.

Membership benefits cannot be applied retroactively, so if you are considering becoming a member, we recommend you make that decision before enrolling in classes so you can get the 10% discount. 

We do not offer discounted room rentals to members at this time. 

We began offering memberships during Summer 2019. We continue to explore the idea of different membership levels. At this time, we just offer an individual membership level.

We only offer memberships for individuals at this time. However, we DO offer venue space and art workshops/parties for corporate events. 

Yes! Members currently can receive 10% off at An Artful Touch and Daniel Smith in Seattle. We are working on further partnerships and discounts as well.

We are so proud of our local art scene, but memberships do not currently include free museum passes. However, the following local art museums offer free admission: Frye Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum (every first Thursday), Henry Art Gallery (Sundays), Olympic Sculpture Park, Bellevue Arts Museum (every first Friday), and the Museum of Glass (every third Thursday from 5-8pm). 

Yes! Board meetings are open to all, and you do not need to be a member to join us. However, membership does NOT allow you to vote at board meetings. To learn more information about becoming a board member, click here